Pagina's

EUnion commissioner Viviane Reding is not in possession of a full set faculties. That was already evident from the impossibly ill-conceived Godwin she shot at the French government over their plans to end the thousands of illegal camps set up by Roma coming in from Bulgaria and Romania. The angry reactions from the French have forced her to retract her indecent accusation. As well she should. According to Le Monde (FR) her unfortunate remarks were the cause of a fierce row between Sarkozy and El Presidente Barroso.

But that does not mean that Mrs. Reding is now infused with a much needed dose of reality and humility. In German newspaper Die Welt (D), Mrs Reding is threatening to hit EUnion companies with quota for women in top positions.

If by the end of 2011 there is no improvement, we must think about legislating minimum numbers. As a target I am thinking of 30% women in boards of directors by 2015. By 2020 this must be increased to 40%.

Coming Spring Mrs. Reding wants to engage large European companies about a plan to increase the number of women in top positions.

Mrs. Reding wants women in key positions in European industry. Irrespective of competence. Evidently she doesn't realize that this will be a set back for those few women that make it to the top on their own. Any woman reaching a top spot in a company by virtue of her own ambitions and abilities will be looked down upon as one of 'Redings girls', not actually good enough for the job, but endowed with the right gender. This would set back the equality agenda, because it would likely have the effect of women being present, but being ignored, not taken seriously.

Companies that comply with Mrs. Redings insane quota will be sub-optimally directed, just by the 'virtue' of not being able to put in the best person for the job. Any company not complying will either be slapped with huge fines (payable to the EUnion, of course) or move elsewhere, decreasing employment, domestic income and expertise. At any rate, the industry will lose much of the competitive advantage it has left after the huge costs in money and manpower to comply with the EUnions irresponsibly complicated 'Single Market' directives.

In short, this inane idea will seriously hamper European companies, and with it the economies of EUnion member states. It will have negative consequences for employment and revenue. And thus it will make us all poorer. All that at a time when we can ill afford unnecessary friction in our fragile economies. And to top it all off, it will do exactly nothing for the cause Mrs. Reding claims in proposing these meddlesome measures. In fact, it will be detrimental to it.

Which leaves us with two possibilities. Either Mrs. Reding knows this, but doesn't care, which makes her a sociopath of the outer category. Or she doesn't know this, proving she is criminally incompetent, not to mention stupid. Either way: She is mentally deficient. That she managed to nestle in the high echelons of the EUnion tells you all you need to know about the character and beneficence of the EUnion.